Short facts about the economy in Sudan
| Economy -
overview: |
Sudan is buffeted by civil war, chronic
instability, adverse weather, weak world agricultural prices, a drop in
remittances from abroad, and counterproductive economic policies. The private
sector's main areas of activity are agriculture (which employs 80% of the work
force), trading, and light industry which is mostly processing of agricultural
goods. Most of the 1990s were characterized by sluggish economic growth as the
IMF suspended lending, declared Sudan a non-cooperative state, and threatened to
expel Sudan from the IMF. Starting in 1997, Sudan began implementing IMF
macroeconomic reforms which have successfully stabilized inflation at 10% or
less. Sudan continues to have limited international credit resources as over 75%
of Sudan's debt of $24.9 billion is in arrears and Khartoum's continued
prosecution of the civil war works to isolate Sudan. In 1999, Sudan began
exporting oil and in 1999-2000 had recorded its first trade surpluses. Current
oil production stands at 185,000 barrels per day, of which about 70% is exported
and the rest refined for domestic consumption. Despite its many infrastructure
problems, Sudan's increased oil production, the return of regular rainfall, and
recent investments in irrigation schemes should allow the country to achieve
economic growth of 6% in 2001. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $35.7 billion
(2000 est.) |
| GDP - real
growth rate: |
7% (2000
est.) |
| GDP - per
capita: |
purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000
est.) |
| GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture: 39%
industry: 17%
services: 44% (1998
est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%:
NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
10% (2000
est.) |
| Labor
force: |
11 million (1996
est.) |
| Labor force
- by occupation: |
agriculture 80%, industry and commerce
10%, government 6%, unemployed 4% (1996 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
4% (1996
est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $1.2 billion
expenditures: $1.3 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
cotton ginning, textiles, cement,
edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals,
armaments |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
5% (1996
est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
1.76 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 42.05%
hydro: 57.95%
nuclear:
0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
1.637 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh
(1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum,
millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassara, mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet
potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock |
| Exports: |
$1.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000
est.) |
| Exports -
commodities: |
oil and petroleum products, cotton,
sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic,
sugar |
| Exports -
partners: |
Saudi Arabia 16%, Italy 10%, Germany
5%, France 3%, Thailand 3% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000
est.) |
| Imports -
commodities: |
foodstuffs, manufactured goods,
machinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals,
textiles |
| Imports -
partners: |
China 14.7%, Libya 14.7%, Saudi Arabia
8.9%, UK 8.7%, France 6.7% (1999) |
| Debt -
external: |
$24.9 billion (2000
est.) |
| Economic aid
- recipient: |
$187 million
(1997) |
| Currency: |
Sudanese dinar
(SDD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 257.44
(January 2001), 257.12 (2000), 252.55 (1999), 200.80 (1998), 157.57 (1997),
125.08 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year | Source: World Factbook |
